Anchor Lights - Is it a Law ?

[savoir]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

a·ghast   [uh-gast, uh-gahst] Show IPA
adjective
struck with overwhelming shock or amazement; filled with sudden fright or horror: T

Aghast | Define Aghast at Dictionary.com

As in the old nautical phrase " Aghast ye swabs ! "

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by John A

In every anchorage I was in from San Diago to Panama there were several boats that didn't display any lights during darkness, and I found the Islands in the Caribbean no different. Some boats had no one onboard but most simply didn't display lights.

Sometimes I would anchor in 40 ft of water and wait for daylight to move closer, Simpson Bay on St Maarten comes to mind. Sometimes I'd extend the distance sailed to arrive in the early morning. Most times I planned my departure to arrive at the next anchorage in the morning.

Many times I'd wake up in the middle of the night with someone shining a light on my well lite boat as some fool worked their way into the anchorage. Hearing their chain as they dropped the hook, I'd be forced to get into my dinghy to go instruct them as to the amount of scope I had out and suggest that it would be really nice if they anchored a dad further from me. Many times I had to fend a boat of off my boat and wake the people up to move their boat. More times than not they'd anchored on top of my anchore and were swinging ten feet off my bow.

I know that the law says this or that is legal, Colregs are used as a standred. But the real world is different. If you try to instruct some people from other countries on the Colregs, It's not uncommon to need to duck a empty wine bottle.

When you come cruising prudent seamanship goes a long way in protecting your boat. Cruise as if you had no insurance. Be prepared to take reasposibility for your own actions.

Common sense and courtesy are skills that you'll need to learn once you leave the cocoon of your home port.
regards

What this post says is a bit more realistic...sure there are times that sorting out what is in a crowded anchorage is very difficuly in the dark...especially if wind and current make slow going almost impossible (but then it's not such a great anchorage ).

But your last post said "Entering an anchorage or Mooring field in the dark is really not prudent seamanship." Which in many cases is complete rubbish and prompted morerealistic responses.

For those that worry about things out there in the dark should stay put then when the sun goes down...at least in the US intracoastal... because there are plenty of perfectly legal boaters out there not showing lights right in the middle of the channel. Yes...they are supposed to show a white light at your approach...but what are the chances that may not happen for a variety of reasons and running them over will not go easy on you in the hearing.

[barnakiel]

And is the midnight oil considered a proper fuel for oil fueled anchor lamps?

"Permanent moorings are there permanently and this is why we are permanently less likely to hit one." Quoting no-one, just in case no-one is going to sue me.

C'mon, reality check, administration chasing and fining cruisers while there are plenty of unlit local boats moored around you is BEST explained by 7% discount on the host country's govt. bonds. The country is too poor to live the way they live and it is poor because the inhabitants are lazy bums. Lazy bums are too lazy to provide shore side facilities to the mentioned cruisers. But they are not too lazy to execute nonsensical regulations. You know you do not even have to climb a tree to pick a banana. But building and maintaining a clean toilet / shower booth requires work.

So much for legally unlit local moorings while we get pestered by local authorities.

b.

[barnakiel]

It was ever perhaps only 2 maybe 3 times that I had problem seeing sailing boats in an anchorage in the West Indies or elsewhere. The point is there is so much light from the villages that even the unlit boats were pretty well visible. Sure, we only ever go very, very slowly ahead and one of us is on watch on the bow.

If it is too dark, we will simply stay out and anchor next morning. So what if the boats there are lit, or not? There tends to be so much stuff in and under the water that entering an unknown, dark anchorage at night is a risk anyway.

b.

[Mexdon]

Originally Posted by savoir

As in the old nautical phrase " Aghast ye swabs ! "

Another forum typo????????

[Capt.Don]

Talk about confusing - while in Mexico, we saw a cruiser anchored with a flashing strobe INSTEAD of the 360 all-white anchor light. Yes, you could see him, but it was sure annoying. Kinda made it so you wanted to run into him!

Also saw tri-color installed backwards........

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by xymotic

I work @ a large marine retailer. A customer just came in the other day wanting to quadruple his battery banks, to something crazy like 6 8d's. He got all bent out of shape when I suggested he should upgrade to LED interior lights, complaining about the cost was as much as an extra 8d.

Yeah, maybe... ONCE. vs buying all that lead every 4 years or so. Some people are just 'odd'

I'm currently refitting and LED lighting is going to be the order of the day, and lots of it.

I just have to write this, sorry for wondering off topic a bit, but it's still closely related;

People who buy additional batteries because they need more power are clueless. Not everybody has had an electrical engineering education so there's nobody to blame, until they refuse to believe that buying extra batteries is clueless from someone who does know this stuff.

Batteries are not power sources, they are power buffers. If you need more power, you need to buy extra/more power generating equipment like solar panels, wind gens, bigger battery chargers etc. Batteries can give you longer run time between charging but they never increase available power.

Limiting power consumption by switching to things like LED lights is the smartest thing to start with and the only option that would work in the situation I quoted above.

cheers,
Nick.

[cchesley]

Yes, showing anchor lights is the law.
Some exceptions can be noted, for instance they are not req'd in a "Designated Anchorage" (this means one officially designated and so noted on your chart)
It's disconcerting that a boat owner does not know this, but....
True, many don't show req'd lights
Liability is there but usually won't be an issue unless dealing with lawyers and authorities after an accident, especially involving injury or death
Showing an anchor ball during the day is also the law.
Showing a cone while motorsailing is also the law.
Few folks fully follow the law. (my hand is raised here too)
If you're not comfortable running your boat in certain instances, it may be fair to consider in 'unseamanlike', but don't presume that makes it so for everyone.

[s/v Jedi]

Let me give an example of "the law"... this happend on the island of Bequia;

A yacht comes in close before dark and anchors. They decide to visit customs and immigration the next morning. That same night, one of the many water taxi's runs into their boat at full speed, the guy being drunk and all, and the taxi guy is killed.

Turns out the yacht is held reliable because he is there illegally. As he didn't check in, he should not have been there in which case the taxi would not have killed himself by splatting onto his hull. I must admit that I don't remember if he had an anchor light or not.

Another example: a boat we know was anchored in Miami (years ago when that was still allowed) and they used an oil lamp tied to the cutter stay at about 7' height like so many of us do this. During the night a USCG fast boat hit their anchor chain so violently that bowsprit etc. was destroyed. The officers warned them not to take any steps to claim the costs because they would arrest them for not showing proper anchor light and endagering the lives of CG crew by this neglect.

I know that the first example was handled by legal action and the second might have won with legal action but the boat decided not to pursue that and they just left and repaired and paid for it themselves.

I'm not saying what kind of anchor light to use because indeed the law leaves a lot of room for interpretation... the examples just show how things can go in the real world, be it 1st or 3rd.

cheers,
Nick.

[cal40john]

Unless they had their kerosene lantern turned way down, the coasties told a fib.

From: ANNEX I: INTERNATIONAL POSITIONING & TECHNICAL DETAILS OF LIGHTS & SHAPES

11. Intensity of non-electric lights

Non-electric lights shall so far as practicable comply with the minimum intensities, as specified in the Table given in Section 8 of this Annex.

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Let me give an example of "the law"... this happend on the island of Bequia;

A yacht comes in close before dark and anchors. They decide to visit customs and immigration the next morning. That same night, one of the many water taxi's runs into their boat at full speed, the guy being drunk and all, and the taxi guy is killed.

Turns out the yacht is held reliable because he is there illegally. As he didn't check in, he should not have been there in which case the taxi would not have killed himself by splatting onto his hull. I must admit that I don't remember if he had an anchor light or not.

Another example: a boat we know was anchored in Miami (years ago when that was still allowed) and they used an oil lamp tied to the cutter stay at about 7' height like so many of us do this. During the night a USCG fast boat hit their anchor chain so violently that bowsprit etc. was destroyed. The officers warned them not to take any steps to claim the costs because they would arrest them for not showing proper anchor light and endagering the lives of CG crew by this neglect.

I know that the first example was handled by legal action and the second might have won with legal action but the boat decided not to pursue that and they just left and repaired and paid for it themselves.

I'm not saying what kind of anchor light to use because indeed the law leaves a lot of room for interpretation... the examples just show how things can go in the real world, be it 1st or 3rd.

cheers,
Nick.

[boatman61]

Bullsh*t Baffles Brains....
OR
Uniforms have 'Bigger Sticks'....

[s/v Jedi]

Yes, I agree the coasties were wrong (and knew it)... but that didn't really matter, did it? If they would have had a masthead anchor light, they would prolly have found another stick to try and shut 'm up. But this is how it goes out there, showing it is different than theoretical discussions.

ciao!
Nick.

[sdowney717]

Yes, I agree the coasties were wrong

Why do this? Because they are somewhat corrupted, have the power and authority and intimidation is what they can do well, if they want to and they know it.
It is so sad to see a public servant, a law enforcement officer do that.

I have some old coleman pump lanterns which can put out an extremely bright light. I have used the wick type kerosene lanterns and the light is not so good, to me that would be a poorer choice for an anchor light.

[Astrid]

I have used the wick type kerosene lanterns and the light is not so good, to me that would be a poorer choice for an anchor light.

Depends on the lantern. Those made for marine use have glass which enhances the brightness of the light given off by the wick. One still needs to choose carefully though and employ an oil lamp built for the purpose rather than just any old oil lamp.

[Vasco]

Best anchor light for a sailboat. I hang it from a jib sheet. I stuck a small pvc pipe on it to protect the small wires. Bebi Electronics-Home of the Finest Marine LED Lighting Products on Sea (or Earth)!
It's made from a 25mm pvc end cap.